1 Thessalonians - 6 Sessions

Paul has heard a good report on the church at Thessalonica, and encourages them to “excel still more” in faith, hope, and love. 

ONE - Be an Example Worth Following - 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

TWO - A Life Worthy of God - 1 Thessalonians 2:1-16

THREE - Encouraging Each Other’s Faith - 1 Thessalonians 2:17–3:13

FOUR - Living a Quiet and Respectable Life - 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12

FIVE - Encourage and Build Each Other Up - 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11

SIX - Stay Spiritually Alert - 1 Thessalonians 5:12-28

The apostle Paul was fully aware of the strategic value of Thessalonica. It was the largest city in Macedonia at that time, and it had compelling historical and geographical status. Historically, Thessalonica was a “free city” in the Roman Empire because it had supported Octavian, also called Augustus (see Luke 2:1), in the battle of Philippi in 42 B.C. As a result, the Roman emperor gave it special status that included local autonomy and even the right to tax local residents. The city was named after Alexander the Great’s half-sister, Thessalonike, and for Paul it represented a cosmopolitan, multicultural center that would naturally be a challenge to the gospel.

Another significant feature was the city’s geographic location. Thessalonica had a great harbor for shipping. Located on a major east-west trade route, the city thrived from commercial enterprise. For Paul, it was a strategic entry point for spreading the Christian message throughout Macedonia, Achaia (Greece), and beyond. Today the city remains a significant presence in northern Greece and is called Thessaloniki (also Salonika).

The books of 1 and 2 Thessalonians are actually letters written by the apostle Paul, who started the church in Thessalonica on his second missionary journey around A.D. 50. Reading a letter is much like listening to someone talking on the phone: you hear only one side of the conversation, but you can often figure out what the other person is saying. By reading these letters, we discover what Paul wanted to communicate to the church in Thessalonica. From the book of Acts we can learn how the church in Thessalonica was founded and when this happened in the course of Paul’s missionary travels.

Paul had left Thessalonica abruptly (see Ac 17:5-10) after a rather brief stay. Recent converts from paganism (1:9) were thus left with little external support in the midst of persecution. Paul's purpose in writing this letter was to encourage the new converts in their trials (3:3-5), to give instruction concerning godly living (4:1-12) and to give assurance concerning the future of believers who die before Christ returns (4:13-18.

The subject of doctrine of last things seems to be predominant in both Thessalonian letters. Every chapter of 1 Thessalonians ends with a reference to the second coming of Christ, with ch. 4 giving it major consideration (1:9-10; 2:19-20; 3:13; 4:13-18; 5:23-24). Thus, the second coming seems to permeate the letter and may be viewed in some sense as its theme.